Discusses the varying effects of economic and social conditions (particularly affluence, educational attainment, and immigration) on the development of U.S. art museums in 1869-99, 1900-30, and 1931-59. Suggests that museum legitimacy transmits the effects of most economic and social variables. Contains 63 references. (SV)

Finds that eighth graders' level of comfort about asking questions in class was positively related to family income, socio-economic status, English language proficiency, family intellectual environment, educational aspirations, academic performance, self-esteem, and locus of control and was significantly associated with gender, ethnicity,…

Explores the relevance of the concept of cultural capital, seen as an alternative to the more traditional measures of socioeconomic disadvantagement, to the significance of information technology (IT) in contemporary societies. Research into Australian households' involvement with IT is used to examine relationships between IT usage and cultural…

Proposes a social need for solidarity, examines sources of the term, and shows how principles and practices of solidarity, although construed in various metaphors, is deeply rooted in the scriptural story. Provides a holistic frame of reference for proposing the promotion of solidarity as a foundational concern for religious education. (DSK)

Discusses how the English language teaching (ELT) specialist can become more sensitive to the potential impact that sociocultural factors can have on the success or failure of educational projects. The argument centers around the concept of dilemma, which acts as a lens that helps the ELT specialist problematize cross-cultural issues, reinterpret…

Presents a theoretical framework that classifies autonomy as procedural/technical, personal/practical, or critical. Discusses sociocultural barriers to learning motivation and identifies which assessment practices foster which type of autonomy. (Contains 71 references.) (SK)

Reviews reasons for the growth in formal kinship care and outlines policy structures and practices of kinship care. Examines potential risks and benefits of kinship care for children and differences between formal kinship care and non-kin foster care. Reviews suggestions made for policy and practice models that could address needs of kinship…

Discusses Foucault's notion of "heterotopia"--real places but which exist unto themselves, such as a floating ship. Considers data on children's use of computer and video games to apply "heterotopia" to children's everyday social lives. Argues that childhood is subject to increasing boundaries, and that children create…

Poses questions highlighting tensions needing management in the gendered practice of research. The article maintains that gender is one of the major social relations continually negotiated in social practices and affects the research questions asked, methods used, and data interpretation and implications. (six references) (CK)

Comments on the papers presented in this special edition of this journal. Discusses the papers insofar as they have illuminated the agenda of a mathematics education researcher or served to move the community beyond the unproductive split between individual and social research perspectives. (Author/MM)

Presents a cultural-developmental framework for the analysis of children's mathematics in collective practices and illustrates the heuristic value of the framework through the analysis of videotaped episodes drawn from a middle-school classroom. Discusses the promise and limitations of the framework as a method for furthering understanding of the…

Discusses the two theories that have contributed most to the development of the mediational approach to learning, Vygotskian sociocultural theory and Feuerstein's theory of Mediated Learning Experience. Both theories emphasize the importance of sociocultural forces in shaping a child's development and learning, and have generated a number of…

Describes the "A Question of Truth" exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre which examines several questions about the nature of science itself, how ideas are formed, and how cultural and political conditions affect the practice of science. Observation data indicate that science center visitors are interested in considering science and the…

Within-group similarities and between-group differences are used to illustrate the socio-cultural nature of the concept-building process in highly collaborative computer science classrooms. Simultaneously, a social constructivist perspective is used to describe the individual aspects of this development. The study uses written explanations from…

Despite many theorists' assertions and researchers' findings that eating disturbances have personal, sociocultural, and relational correlates, no model of eating disorder symptomatology incorporating all 3 of these domains has been proposed. The purpose of this study, then, was to examine empirically such a model. Personal, sociocultural, and…